Babies, Bagels, Busy Schedules, and By the way
by Fluffy Cat1
Summary: Cole and Mel face the new day after a "Late Night Indulgence," Sequel to previous fic


**_Disclaimer__: Fluffy Cat does not own or have any right to these characters or names or places, or anything else in her stories. Fluffy Cat just enjoys the characters Mel and Cole and likes to get them out in the world and play with them a bit. Fluffy Cat does not profit in any way from doing this, other than the pleasure of batting them around for a while_**

**_Timeline:  __This story takes place after the episode "Love, Cirronian Style." It has an R-rated prequel entitled "Late Night Indulgences with a Cirronian" and Fluffy Cat strongly suggests that the reader be familiar with that particular story before attempting to read this one. It makes much more sense that way. The reader may find references in this story to previous stories written by Fluffy Cat._**

_Fluffy Cat would like to thank all those readers who sweetly submitted reviews encouraging Fluffy Cat to continue batting Cole and Mel around in this manner. She would also like to thank Blue Raven for all her encouragement and on-line chatting ( notice I did not refer to it as nagging), as well as Joan and Deon who have faithfully promised not to lose respect for me as a result of these stories. I'm holding you to your word._

**Babies, Bagels, Busy Schedules, and By the way, I found these…**

**By Fluffy Cat**

Something was tickling her nose. With eyes still closed, Mel batted at the air above her pretty face and snuggled back down into her covers, emitting a soft sigh of pleasure at the warmth found there.

Her nose twitched again. Scrunching up her face at the second interruption, Mel mumbled and batted again at whatever was set on disturbing her slumber.

Certain she had dispensed with the bothersome thing, Mel burrowed deeper into her bed.

The bed chuckled back at her.

Blue-green eyes popped open and a head full of tumbled curls shot up to stare into the amused soft-brown eyes of the Tracker.

He was holding one of her curls in-between his fingers, dangling it in front of her eyes. "Hey, you, you finally awake? Can we mate now?" His voice was a teasing baritone rumble that successfully stimulated far more than her level of consciousness.

Mel groaned and plopped her head back down on top of his chest. "Cole." She called his name softly, a smile touching her lips, despite the morning confusion she was experiencing and the tiny stirrings of a headache brought on, no doubt, by too little sleep after staying awake for almost twenty-four hours.

"Mel." Cole wrapped his arms tightly around her back and smiled down at the tousled curls resting on his chest.

"I guess I wasn't dreaming after all, huh?" Mel commented to his throat, placing a soft kiss against his skin.

"No, Mel. We made love." Deep satisfaction could be found in his words.

"You sound rather pleased with yourself." Mel teased, stroking his chest with her fingers. She was beginning to wake up. 

Waking up on top of a naked Cirronian was certainly a nice way to start her day, Mel reflected silently while wearing a sly grin Cole couldn't see.

"I am, Mel." He answered honestly. "We have mated and made love."

The way he pronounced those words reminded Mel that they had yet to talk about the events of last night. 

More than likely, Cole had some questions for her.

Caressing his chest again, her fingers really couldn't resist touching all that hard warm muscle, Mel asked him softly. "Cole? Do you have any questions for me? We didn't really get to talk much after we…made love."

Cole, having been very content to just lie there holding his Mel while she slept, considered her question. "Yes, Mel. I do have a question for you."

Her smile slipping a bit, Mel replied. "I thought you might. What would you like to know, Cole?"

"While you were sleeping I was thinking about what you said last night, about the Watchfire and my tracking, and the time those duties will take out of our schedules."

"Yes?" Mel nodded.

"How many times a day do you think we will be able to make love?"

Stunned, Mel drew a deep breath, holding it for a moment before slowly releasing it, her lips curving upward at the Cirronian's direct way of broaching the subject with her. It was so 'Cole.' 

Mel lifted her head and looked directly into his beautiful eyes. "I don't know, Cole. We can't know for sure. Every day will be different depending on what happens."

The Tracker nodded at her answer, as if expecting those exact words. "That is what I had decided as well. That is a rather uncertain way of doing it, Mel." He pointed out gently, his hand cupping her chin and bringing her lovely lips closer to his mouth so that he could brush a kiss against them. "We should make a schedule, Mel, so we don't miss an opportunity to mate…er make love."

Mel stared at him, her expression bemused. "Cole, you want to make a schedule of when we can make love?"

A frown greeted her words. "No, Mel. I want to make a schedule of when we can't make love, so that we will know when we can." He offered the explanation wearing an innocent expression.

She had to kiss him. She just had to. Grinning at his sweet expression, Mel started to laugh. "Cole… most couples just play it by ear and make love when the mood strikes them and the time is right."

His expression turned doubtful. "But Mel, that's not a very effective way of handling it. I would predict many missed opportunities with that system."

"And we can't have missed opportunities?" She laughed gently.

"No, Mel." His eyes dipped down to where her soft breasts were pressed against his hard chest. "I want to mate…make love…to you whenever we can."

Her heart melted and her eyes filled with tears. "It was pretty wonderful, wasn't it?"

Cole was quick to answer and smile back at her. "Yes, Mel. It was very wonderful." His hands stroked her throat. Warmth and tenderness coursed through her. 

Her eyes drifted shut as his hands caressed her. "Mel?" He asked softly.

"Yes."

"If I had made out our schedules for today, now would be a good time for us."

Her eyes opened, laughter shining in them. "You Cirronians really are fast, aren't you?"

His grin greeted her. "Can we mate now?"

"You think it is a good time?" Mel teased.

Cole looked down at where she was positioned on top of him. "Well…you are still naked, Mel, and I'm naked and the door is still locked and I'm on bottom; so… we could try that boy on bottom, girl on top method we started to try last night." 

Mel bit her bottom lip at his suggestion. "Sounds like you have it all figured out."

He nodded happily. "Yes, Mel."

She leaned down and captured his mouth for a passionate kiss.

The Tracker did not evade her attack.

"I like that, Mel. I like being a part of you like we were last night." He whispered softly, stroking her throat again in his Cirronian gesture of affection. 

The reminder had Mel back-peddling. "Oh, Cole…there's something we need to discuss about our love-making last night. Something I forgot." Mel sat up. The blanket covering her slid down to rest around her hips, exposing her lovely breasts to Cole as she spoke. Mel didn't think about it, she was so intent on the necessary conversation she was about to embark upon.

The Tracker noticed though. His eyes were admiring her at the same time he focused on what she wanted to say to him. "Yes, Mel?"

Rolling her eyes at her own stupidity, Mel confessed. "I can't believe I forgot this, I mean I never, ever, forget this sort of thing. It's irresponsible and dangerous too. I mean now days it is very dangerous, but of course, with you, naturally, it isn't. I mean you aren't …well…you're Cole, and so I didn't have to worry about any other aspect of it, and as for the other, well… usually if I'm with a guy, you know," her curls started to spin and Cole smiled at the effect. "I mean, I've been dating him a while before we decide to…I mean it has been discussed and I have time to plan that sort of thing and so the issue doesn't really come up last minute like it did last night." Mel stopped her rambling and looked back down at Cole hopefully.

He was watching her with a completely bemused expression on his face.

He didn't get it. 

She'd have to try again.

Mel took a deep breath, pasted a smile on her lips and started again. "What I mean to say is with other men," she stopped to frown. "Not that there have been that many, mind you, I mean a few, yeah, I'm a grown woman and not exactly eighteen, so yeah, there have been a few, but not so many I can't count them…anyway," Her curls went off in a different direction and Cole smiled again, watching them.

"Well, when I've dated other men, I've known when I would go to bed with them, when we would mate…er…make love and so I was prepared, you know?" Mel looked at Cole, once again hopeful.

He still didn't get it.

She swallowed her uneasiness and started over…again. "Cole," she stated firmly, hoping the mature tone would help her through this. "I didn't think about it with you because well, I don't exactly know why, maybe because I didn't plan on it happening at all, and maybe because I know you are Cirronian and I think of you as Cirronian, and well…that isn't human." She confessed softly, hoping she hadn't hurt his feelings.

"No, Mel. Cirronian is not human." He admitted with a half smile for her.

"Right." Mel agreed quickly. "It isn't, so I didn't think about …human aspects of what we did last night."

He cocked his head at her. "The entire process was very human, Mel."

"Yes, it was. But I was doing it with a Cirronian, so it didn't really remind me of…human aspects…as much as it should have." Taking a deep breath, Mel added. "I take full responsibility, of course. I should. I mean I was the one with the experience and I should have thought of it, but I just didn't, for some damn reason, and now because I didn't, we have to worry a little bit." She finished softly, barely whispering the last part.

"Worry, Mel?" Cole asked gently, stroking her lovely throat and trying not to look at the bare signatures in front of him. "What do we have to worry about?"

Her shoulders sagged. "Not much, really, I mean the timing really isn't that likely for it to be a matter of concern, but things happen sometimes. And of course, we have to make sure we take the proper precautions the next time and all other times."

He frowned. "Proper precautions? Precautions against what, Mel?"

She looked at him and answered honestly, swallowing the nervous lump in her throat. "Babies. Babies that might grow up to be fast little toddlers who never sleep and zip around the apartment in hyperspeed while coloring on our walls."

Cole stared at her with a look of wonder on his face, his voice a barely audible whisper. "We might have created a child last night, Mel?"

Her heart ached for him when she heard the longing in his voice. "I really don't think so, Cole, but it's a possibility, not a likely one, but it does exist."

He looked puzzled. "You don't know if you did or not?"

Mel shrugged. "It will be a few days before I find out."

"The human female doesn't know she will create a child when she mates?" He asked curiously.

"No…not really, many factors are involved. We know when it is more likely, but not exactly when it will happen or if." Mel explained.

Cole watched her with a strange expression. "On Cirron 17, a Cirronian female knows before the act of mating whether she will produce a child."

Mel made a disgusted face. "How nice for the females on Cirron 17; I'm afraid females on Earth don't have it down to that exact a science." 

Cole looked thoughtful. "You said precautions?"

"Yes." Mel gave him a pitiful smile. "I should have taken precautions to lower the possibility of it occurring, but I didn't think about it with you. When we make love again, we will have to take those precautions."

Cole started to smile and soon a wide grin was spread across his face. "You are worried about producing a child with Cirronian abilities."

Mel stared at him, her eyes narrowed. "It isn't funny, Cole. How can I chase after a toddler who zips around faster than I can see him? One minute he's there, the next he's gone! And how can I watch him to keep him safe if he never sleeps and I have to get several hours of sleep a day? I couldn't leave him with anyone else because they might begin to wonder why the child disappeared before their eyes or never ever slept! Of course, I'm worried about it. I couldn't manage it by myself."

Cole took her into his arms and pulled her down to lie against his chest, caressing her arms and back as he held her. "Mel…you would not be alone. If we made a child, I would be here with you. I could chase him while you slept." 

She knew he was smiling at the last few words.

"Am I being silly? Would a child of ours be able to zip around the apartment?" She raised her head to look at him as he answered.

His eyes were bright with an unnamed emotion. "I don't know, Mel, maybe."

"Are you upset with me for not thinking of this earlier, like before we made love?" She whispered hesitantly, dreading his tendency to answer honestly.

Cole gave her a tender smile. "No, Mel. The thought of a child with you does not upset me. It pleases me, very much."

"It would be lousy timing, Cole. You have fugitives to catch and people after you." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Lousy timing."

His hands pulled her back against him, offering her comfort from her worries. "We'll wait for you to know, Mel. If we did create a life-force, we will raise him or her together."

"I'm sorry, Cole." She mumbled, tears in her voice.

His arms tightened around her. "You worry too much, Mel."

"I know. You told me."

"It's true." 

"Yeah, well, let this be a lesson to you. Maybe you'll think twice about making love to a human female after this." Mel advised wryly.

"Yes, Mel. But just so you will know, I have thought more than twice about making love to you. Much more." His lips curved. "You have been asleep for almost six hours." He explained.

She actually giggled.

"Mel?"

"Yes, Cole?" 

"Do you know why I'm not too concerned about the possibility of us creating a life-force together?"

"No." She whispered. "Why?"

"Because when you expressed to me your worries, you never mentioned worrying about the fact the child's heritage would not be completely human. Your only concern about the child being part-Cirronian was how you were going to protect him when he was young with abilities you didn't possess. Not that he was of a different species."

She lifted her head and frowned down at him. "Well, of course I'm not concerned about his heritage from that point of view. He or she will be my child too; and yours, Cole. I would never be ashamed of any child we created. Cirronians are a highly developed species, why would I be ashamed of that?"

He kissed her. "I'm glad I found you, Mel."

She relaxed in his arms. "I'm glad too, Cole."

"When are you going to tell me you love me again?" He asked curiously, playing with another strawberry-blonde curl.

Her smile rueful, she sighed. "I said that out loud, huh? I wasn't sure. I thought maybe I just dreamed it."

"You said it." Cole grinned.

"Figures; I don't seem to be able to keep any secrets lately."

The Tracker laughed and hugged his mate close to his chest. 

"Mel?"

"Yes?" She sighed; enjoying the morning-after cuddling Cole was inclined to give her, without prompting too, she noticed, thoroughly impressed with the sensitive nature of this Cirronian.

"About our schedules…this is still a good time." His hands traveled down her back to caress one softly rounded bum.

Okay; sensitive Cirronian, but still male. Definite Male. Mel grinned up at him. Her response was interrupted by an abrupt knock on the war room door.

"Cole, you in there? I can't find Mel." Jess called from the other side.

Mel's eyes grew round at hearing Jess. She shot Cole a panicked look, begging for help.

 The Tracker wore an amused grin at the expression on Mel's face and cleared his throat. "It's okay, Jess. Mel's fine. She's with me."

Mel stared at Cole with her mouth open.

"Oh." Jess replied then started giggling. "Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt."

Still stunned at his response, Mel began sputtering "I'm here, Jess. I just needed to talk to Cole about something. I'll be out in a minute."

"Don't hurry on my account, Mel." Jess quipped, her British-laced laughter clearly insinuating her meaning.

Shooting Cole a disgruntled look, Mel answered again in a clearer more concise tone. "Jess, I was just talking to Cole. I'll meet you in the kitchen in a minute."

"Thirty." Cole corrected softly as his hands wandered from soft bum to responsive female signatures.

"What?" Mel asked with a frown, glancing down at where his hands had landed.

Grinning, the Tracker kissed her on the lips and suggested, "Tell her thirty minutes, Mel. You'll be out in thirty minutes."

Shaking her head, Mel laughed. "Cole…Jess is out there waiting; we can't."

"I can." Cole replied simply.

Amused, Mel continued to send her wild curls spinning about her head. "No, Cole. I have to talk to her. She's got the wrong idea about us." Mel stood up, the blanket falling around her feet as she walked over to where her gown and robe lay in the floor.

The Tracker turned on his side, a bent elbow supporting himself as he sat half-way up on the cushions. "Does she?" He smiled at the pretty white bottom facing him as Mel bent to pick up her clothes.

"Yes, she does. She thinks we…" Realizing that her words didn't make any sense, she stopped. "Well, it's not like she thinks, let's just say that."

"It's not?" Cole asked curiously, smiling again at Mel's wild hair as she threw it out of her face while slipping her gown back over her head. 

"No, it's not." Mel answered, wrapping her silky robe around her body.

"Okay, Mel, if you say so." Cole agreed softly, his voice sending shivers down Mel's spine.

She looked up at him and smiled tenderly. "You should dress too, Cole."

Nodding, the Tracker stood; his well-shaped form completely nude in front of her. "Yes, Mel."

Admiring the fine specimen of masculinity in front of her, Mel mumbled under her breath, "Wow!" Clearing her throat, she gave Cole another tender look and headed for the door. "I'll see you in the kitchen."

"I'll be in there in a minute, Mel."

"Right," opening the door, Mel scurried out of the war room, running her fingers through her curls, trying to bring some semblance of order to her hairstyle before she faced Jess. She strongly suspected her hairstyle reflected exactly what she had been doing in the past few hours.

Jess would recognize the look, she was sure.

"Hi, Jess." Mel greeted the young Brit with a warm smile as she went searching for a mug for her coffee. Jess had started a pot already, thankfully. 

"Good morning, Mel." Jess grinned brightly at her friend and employer. "Coffee is hot."

"Good. I could use some this morning, or afternoon, as the case may be." She looked at the clock on the stove and winced. "It's getting late. Good thing the Watchfire is closed today." 

"Yeah, and the power is back on." Jess nodded, smiling at Mel's back. "Rough night, huh?"

Mel took a deep breath and turned around to smile at Jess with fresh cup of coffee in her hand. "Long one, anyway. Did you manage to get any sleep?" She asked politely, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Oh… I slept just fine, Mel. You?" Jess asked; her grin just a little too smug.

Mel made a noncommittal sound and reached for the bag of bagels on the counter, digging in the sack for something to stuff in her mouth so she couldn't talk.

Cole walked into the kitchen and smiled at both women. "Hello, Jess."

"Hey, Cole." Jess grinned back at the handsome man pouring himself a glass of juice. 

Cole turned around and leaned against the counter as he drank his juice. He watched Mel with warm brown eyes that didn't hide any of his affection or desire. 

Jess watched him, nodding her head at what she saw. 

Mel was busy preparing her bagel, making it the slowest prepared breakfast in history. She didn't look up as she worked.

"So, Cole?" Jess spoke with a bright smile. "You finish your project last night?"

Mel spewed coffee all over the counter, choking on what didn't fly out of her mouth.

Concerned, Cole patted Mel on the back and wrapped his arms around her. "Are you all right, Mel?" He inquired gently.

Jess noticed that Cole touched Mel in a much more liberal manner than he had in the past. She nodded to herself a second time.

Clearing her throat, Mel assured him she was fine. "It just went down wrong, I guess."

Cole continued to hold her next to him.

"Well, Cole? Did you?" Jess asked again.

Cole looked up from where he was holding Mel and watching her take a bite of her bagel and grinned at Jess. "Yes, I did, Jess. Thank you for asking."

Jess smiled back at him. "I'm glad. Everything go as planned, did it? No problems?"

"We'll know in a few days if there are, right, Mel?" 

This time it was a bite of bagel that flew out of her mouth.

Cole watched the piece of food fly past him and land in the sink, his expression bemused. 

Jess cupped her hand over her mouth to cover any outburst of laughter but her eyes were bright with it.

"Sorry," Mel mumbled, clearing her throat again. "I guess I'm still choked a bit on the hot coffee."

"Oh, by the way, Cole, I found these in Mel's bedroom." She held up a pair of his white briefs that had been tucked inside her pocket. "I think they belong to you, if memory serves." The blonde gave him a saucy wink.

Mel started choking again and Cole used one hand to slap Mel on the back and the other to retrieve his underwear from Jess.

"Thank you, Jess. I didn't see where Mel had tossed them."

Mel dropped her shoulders in defeat. "Cole."

Jess started laughing. "So much for 'we're just friends, Jess,' and 'it's not like that, Jess,' and 'Cole and I don't think of each other like that, Jess, really!' Yeah, right! Here I was almost buying into it when all along the two of you have been shagging like bunnies."

"Shagging?" Cole asked with a puzzled expression.

Mel huffed. "We do not shag, Jess. And we are just friends. Well, I mean we were. I mean we still are, but we're just more than friends now."

"Friends who shag?" Jess quipped, her grin growing larger by the second.

"What is shagging?" Cole asked again.

Mel turned to Cole, her expression outraged. "It doesn't matter. We do not shag!"

Jess rolled her eyes. "Cole, shagging can be defined as having sex, copulation, sexual intercourse, fornication, and any other term for making the double-backed beast."

"Oh." Cole digested that information before turning back to Mel. "Yes, we do, Mel. We were shagging last night and almost again this morning if Jess hadn't interrupted us."

"Oops! I did it again, huh?" Jess giggled.

Cole turned back to Jess and grinning down at her, announced proudly. "Mel and I have a sex-life now, Jess." 

"Cole!" Mel shouted.

"That sounds familiar." Jess quipped, grinning at Mel. "I thought I heard you shout his name like that last night."

"She shouted my name like that several times last night, Jess." Cole supplied the information with a half-smile at the young blonde.

Unable to resist, Jess added. "Really? Well I don't know if I remember hearing your name more than once, but I definitely heard you clearly shout Mel's name." Jess gave him a smug look that screamed 'take that, buddy!'

Mel closed her eyes in complete humiliation. "I have a headache." She groaned.

Cole pulled her into his arms and began to stroke her throat gently. "You are still tired, Mel."

"Wore her out, did you?" Jess quipped.

Mel tossed the young woman a dirty look. "Jess…" she warned.

"So how long have you two been…" seeing Mel's quick warning glance, Jess amended her words, "making love?"

Mel's answer was clear. "None of your business, Jess." 

"Last night was the first time." Cole supplied the answer happily.

Startled, Jess softened her tone and turned down her laughter. "Oh, that's sweet."

"Of course Mel has done it before with other men, she's not eighteen, after all; but not so many of them she can't count them." 

"Cole!" Mel cried.

"There she goes again." Jess laughed. "Look, you two, I'm going to head back to my apartment. As much as I'd love to stick around and watch the sparks fly, I think this is my cue to leave. Something tells me the two of you need a little alone-time."

"Jess, we'll talk about this later, okay?" 

"Oh, you bet we will. I'm going to need details, you know." Jess laughed before turning back to Cole. "You take care of our girl, Cole." She winked.

"Always, Jess." He answered seriously.

Hugging Mel quickly, Jess took another look at her. "You know you don't look like you feel so hot, Mel. You really do have a headache, don't you?"

"Yeah, I think I just need a couple more hours of sleep."

Jess hugged Cole for no reason other than she approved of the two of them together and had for some time. "You know, Cole, I read somewhere that shagging can help headaches. It releases all these endorphins in the brain that make the headache disappear." 

"Jess!" Mel groaned, shaking her hurting head. "Don't encourage him; he's like a little boy with a new toy as it is."

Jess flew out the door, her laughter drifting back behind her. "Serves you right, Mel for trying to hide it from me last night and this morning. Enjoy!"

Cole turned to Mel and pulled her back into his arms. "Let's get you in bed, Mel. You need to sleep some more." He ushered her out of the kitchen and into her bedroom. Turning down the covers, he began to untie her robe and slipped it off of her.

"Thanks, Cole. I'm sorry about the headache. It was just a small one when I first woke up, but it's growing stronger by the minute. Sleep will cure it."

He smiled tenderly at her. "It's okay, Mel. I want you well."

His hands reached for the straps of her gown and before Mel could blink, the material was pooling around her ankles. "Cole?"

"I like to feel your skin without clothes, Mel." Cole explained softly, picking her up and placing her in the bed. 

"I noticed." Mel quipped, watching him unzip his pants and strip off his shirt. He climbed in beside her, taking her into his arms and nudging her head to rest on his chest. "Go to sleep, Mel. I'd put you to sleep but I'm afraid you'd be out more hours that way than if you just fell asleep on your own."

"Oh. So you plan to just hold me while I sleep?" Mel asked in an amazed whisper.

"Yes, Mel."

"Okay." She smiled, snuggling into his warmth. "You already held me while I slept this morning, I didn't think you'd have the time to do it again."

"I will always find time to hold you, Mel." Cole replied softly, his lips brushing her forehead. "Now sleep."

"Okay, I will." She closed her eyes and kissed his chest.

A moment passed with nothing being said between them as they held each other.

After a few minutes, Cole asked, "Mel?"

"Hmm?" She mumbled, barely awake.

"You said we would have to take certain precautions before we make love again."

Her eyes fluttered open. "Yes, we will."

"What exactly are these precautions?"

An amused curve appeared on her lips. "Nightstand drawer; box of uninflated balloons."

Cole thought about that for a moment before understanding sank in and he grinned and hugged her close. "What's your schedule look like when you wake up?"

**The End**

  
  



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